Sunnyvale Center to host community open house July 28

(courtesy PAMF/John Ho Photography/2011)
In February, 2011 the Palo Alto Medical Foundation demolished the 57-year old clinic building on Old San Francisco Road (formerly the Camino Medical Group clinic) to make way for the new medical center. The grand opening of the new PAMF building will take place on July 28 from 1-4pm.

A little more than two years after the walls came tumbling down at the 57-year-old Sunnyvale Center medical building, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation is opening the rebuilt facility.

The new 120,000-square-foot, two-story medical facility houses 70 primary care physicians and specialists; a community cancer care center; comprehensive primary care for adults, including family medicine, internal medicine, and obstetrics and gynecology; pediatric care; a diagnostic imaging center; and a complete diagnostic laboratory.

The center will be open for patient care beginning Aug. 5. Before patient care begins, there will be a community open house and health fair on July 28 from 1 to 4 p.m.

Attendees are encouraged to arrive via El Camino Real and Old San Francisco Road and avoid Carroll Street and Bayview Avenue. The center is located at 301 Old San Francisco Road.

The open house will feature tours, healthy snacks, activity booths and special activities for children such as face painting, a hula hoop contest, a performance by Daffy Dave and a puppet show.

"We tried very hard to stay in Sunnyvale, so when we had the opportunity to take that site and rebuild, it was just marvelous," said Elizabeth Vilardo, doctor of internal medicine. "Over the course of the next few years, we'll be renovating the two buildings beside this one, so we'll have a lovely campus. It's just been a great project, and we've had a lot of support, which shows the community is very interested in what we do and is happy we're doing it."

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As a special tribute, Mike and Linda Markkula of Woodside donated $600,000 to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation in memory of their friend Father Paul Locatelli, S.J., whose name is now on the Sunnyvale Center.

Locatelli was a Jesuit priest who served as president of Santa Clara University for 20 years. For more than 30 years, Locatelli received his medical care from Dr. Bart Lally, one of PAMF's internists and gastroenterologists.

Lally was with Locatelli when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in May 2010, and cared for him in his final days.

"For more than 80 years, private philanthropy has allowed the Palo Alto Medical Foundation to build its commitment as a community health resource, leading the way in patient care, biomedical research and education," Cynthia Greaves, PAMF marketing, communications and public affairs manager, said in an email.

For more information about the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, visit pamf.org.